Sanity with Santa

It's almost time to take down the Christmas tree and other Yuletide decorations. It is also a good time to reflect on the tradition of Santa Claus.

Dr. Murray Feingold/Daily News correspondent

It's almost time to take down the Christmas tree and other Yuletide decorations. It is also a good time to reflect on the tradition of Santa Claus.

On Christmas Eve many, many little children were mesmerized by tracking Santa's trip from the North Pole to their own home.

Then, waking up early on Christmas Day, they were joyfully overwhelmed by seeing all of the gifts that Santa placed under the family Christmas tree.

And not only that, the glass of milk that was left for Santa was empty. The cookies were also gone.

There is no question that Santa and his entourage of elves and reindeer have made children very happy - not only today's children, but children of past generations.

But each year, the same question arises. Are we being untruthful and disingenuous with our children as we perpetuate the wonderful story of this jolly, somewhat obese gentleman?

As children grow older, they start raising questions concerning Mr. Claus. We answer them the best we can, trying to be as truthful as possible, but perhaps not revealing the entire truth.

We spend a great deal of time pontificating about the spirit of Santa Claus, whatever that means.

However, when the truth is uncovered, do our children undergo any psychological trauma? Do they lose trust in their parents?

To my knowledge, no peer-reviewed double-blind scientific studies have been done that answer these questions. This leaves room for honest disagreement regarding the Santa Claus question.

However, common sense indicates to me that the concept of Santa does not cause any lasting harm to the psyche of our children.

Perhaps the best group to answer this question are the millions of past Santa Claus believers.

Did we endure any significant psychological trauma as a result of believing in this concept? If we did, would we continue to perpetuate such emotional distress upon our own children? I doubt it very much.

As the medical profession and society start the battle in earnest against childhood and adult obesity, perhaps Santa's rotund belly does not serve as the best example of good health.

And yes, climbing down chimneys in the middle of the night does not make him an ideal role model.

But, when you put the entire package of Santa, Mrs. Claus, the elves, and Rudolf and the reindeer, all together, it seems to work.

Until there is solid evidence to the contrary, I will remain on the side of Santa. But I agree, he could lose some weight.

Dr. Murray Feingold is the physician in chief of the National Birth Defects Center, medical editor of WBZ-TV and WBZ radio, and president of the Genesis Fund. The Genesis Fund is a nonprofit organization that funds the care of children born with birth defects, mental retardation and genetic diseases.

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